Essential Information
| Type | Events and festivals |
|---|---|
| Location |
National Maritime Museum
|
| Date and Times | March – June 2023 |
Explore the importance of drawing in this special season, inspired by our exhibition The Van de Veldes: Greenwich, Art and the Sea at the Queen's House, running from March – June 2023. ‘Drawn Together' offers an inclusive and dynamic celebration and investigation of drawing across all of our special sites.
Come and listen to talks given by internationally acclaimed artists, take part in late night drawing sessions inspired by Royal Museums Greenwich's collections and let the imaginations of budding creatives run wild in our family-friendly art workshops.
Explore our full programme of events below. Expect creativity, well-being, culture and lots of artistic inspiration.
Discover more
If you're a budding artist or art enthusiast, why not download our series of drawing prompts?
This free, downloadable booklet is packed with ideas to help you start drawing at Royal Museums Greenwich and to navigate the collections in a way that is meaningful to you.
See what's on
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World Oceans Day: Drawing Inspiration from our Oceans
Saturday 10 June, 11am – 4pm, National Maritime Museum | Free
Artist and author Tania Kovats will be combining her passion for the ocean and the act of drawing as she co-curates a series of special events to celebrate World Oceans Day.
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SENsory Social Club: Drawing with Light
Every Friday 11am-12pm or 1-2pm, Online and at The Prince Philip Maritime Collections Centre | Free
The SENsory Social Club will be investigating drawing as a form of expression and communication whilst developing motor skills.
These sessions have been designed for adults with special educational needs or disabilities to experience a different drawing adventure each week. The workshops are inspired by the vast collection at The Prince Philip Maritime Collections Centre.
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The Season of Drawing has been made in consultation with 'Drawing Correspondence'.
'Drawing Correspondence' is a collective of artists, educators and theorists who have drawing at the heart of their practice. The collective consists of Anita Taylor, Tania Kovats and Chloe Briggs.
The Van de Veldes: Greenwich, Art and the Sea
From across the sea, an art revolution is coming. Discover the art of the Van de Veldes at the Queen's House
Get inspired
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Past events
Girl Friday Breakfast Club
Friday 10 March,10.30-11.30, National Maritime Museum | Pay what you can
The Girl Friday Breakfast Club is a friendly and informal space for women to meet, chat, and support each other. There is no agenda other than hearing from an interesting woman speaker, eating breakfast and drinking great coffee or tea together.
This special Girl Friday Breakfast Club event will be held in association with Royal Museums Greenwich's Drawing Season and Women’s History Month. All women, and those who identify as women, are very welcome to join the Girl Friday Breakfast Club for a cuppa and a croissant with our guest speaker Mary Evans. An acclaimed artist, Mary is known for her socially focused and site specific paper cut-outs.
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Circumnavigation – Drawing Symposium
Saturday 11 March, 10.30am-5pm, National Maritime Museum | Free
The ‘Drawn Together’ season will be launched with our free, inclusive symposium, 'Circumnavigation'.
Featuring discussions from artists and experts, alongside workshops, active drawing sessions and drawing performances, the event is a celebration of drawing in all its many forms. 'Circumnavigation' has been curated by artists Tania Kovats, Anita Taylor and Chloe Briggs.
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Saturday Art Club Takeover
Saturday 18 March 11am-12.30pm, National Maritime Museum | Free
Join us for a fun and experimental drawing workshop planned and delivered by the 20 young people from our Saturday Art Club.
Our group of young creatives will be taking over the Great Map to help you discover what drawing means to you! Everyone is welcome.
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Drawing Mars
Sunday 26 March at 10.30, the Peter Harrison Planetarium at the Royal Observatory | £7 adults and £5 children
Come with us on a journey to Mars where we explore different features and environments on the planet. But don’t forget your sketchbook! They have been a constant in explorers' kits for hundreds of years. In this unique experience, you will be invited to sketch your impressions of the Red Planet with guidance from our expert team of artists and astronomers.
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Family Fun Weekend: Scrimshaw Making
Saturday 1 April and Sunday 2 April, 11am-1pm and 2pm-4pm, Cutty Sark | Free with admission to the ship
Drawing isn't always done with pencil and paper! Discover how people in the past etched on whale tooth and other ivory and bone items – a type of craftwork known as scrimshaw.
Join us as we use similar scrimshaw techniques on alternative animal friendly materials.
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Ways into Drawing – Easter Holiday Workshops
1 April – 16 April, 11am-1pm and 2pm-4pm, National Maritime Museum | Free
This Easter we're playing with mark-making and materials to turn drawing on its head! Come and get stuck in this spring.
These free, drop in sessions are suitable for all ages and abilities.
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Sound and Vision
Thursday 20 April at 7pm | Online | Free
See the Queen's House like never before as you sketch and creatively respond to the displays, accompanied by live music.
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Drawing the Moon
Sunday 23 April, 10.30am-11am, Peter Harrison Planetarium at the Royal Observatory | £5 children and £7 adults
Grab your sketchbook and pencils as we go exploring the Moon. Join artists and astronomers as they take you on a journey to our nearest companion in space.
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Delve Deeper into Drawing
Tuesday 25 April, 7pm-8.30pm, The Prince Philip Maritime Collections Centre | £20
Drawings are a window into the artist's process. However, due to the nature of paper, drawings are inherently delicate and susceptible to wear and ageing.
Come behind the scenes to see some of our rarely displayed drawings and learn how we care for these important works.
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Drawing Breath: Teacher CPD Meditation and Wellbeing Workshop
Thursday 11 May, 4.30pm, Queen's House | Free
Come and draw breath at this very special session led by artist Tania Kovats and educator Jane Sassienie for teachers and learning professionals.
Discover drawing as a mediative tool for well-being for yourself and your learners.
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Behind the Scenes Tours: Drawings Special
Thursday 11 and Thursday 25 May, 1.30pm-3.30pm, The Prince Philip Maritime Collections Centre | £16
The best way to access our collection and see conservation in action is through one of our behind the scenes tours.
On this personal and exclusive experience, you will explore the drawings within the collection held at our state-of-the-art storage facility. See how the conservators clean and care these fragile works on paper, from maps and plans to sketchbooks and even globes.
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Sound and Vision: The Netherlands Now
Thursday 25 May | 7pm | In the Queen's House and online
350 years ago, the Van de Veldes left the Netherlands to set up their studio in the Queen's House. With special thanks to the Dutch Embassy, we are happy to have two exciting creatives from the Netherlands responding to the architecture of Inigo Jones's classical masterpiece.
This very special event can be experienced either in person or online. Please note there is a small fee (£5) for those attending in person.
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Lunar Sketch Along
Wednesday 24 May 7pm–9pm, online | Pay what you can
Explore the use and significance of drawing within astronomy through a unique, live online ‘sketch along’ session with astronomer and astrophotographer Mary McIntyre and our team of astronomers and curators from the Royal Observatory.
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Families Drawn Together
Saturday 3 June, Queen's House | Free
We are inviting families of all ages to take inspiration from the Van de Veldes and how they communicated through drawing. Join us for cross-generational collaborative drawing fun.